By Abdul Raouf Arnaout
JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Tuesday that tens of thousands of gun permits have been granted to Israeli citizens.
"The Firearms Division received hundreds of thousands of requests for personal weapons licenses, and we have issued tens of thousands of conditional permits (without specifying the conditions) and actual licenses for personal weapons to eligible citizens,'' the far-right minister said on Telegram.
Ben-Gvir claimed the purpose for distributing weapons is to "protect Israelis from attacks."
He noted the opening of "hundreds of new reserve classes across the country" to teach Israelis how to carry and use firearms and the government has increased staff at the Firearms Division by "dozens of employees.”
"Due to the high demand on the Firearms Division, I urge everyone to be patient. Check your eligibility and go arm yourself," he said.
Ben-Gvir has been posting images and videos in recent weeks of himself distributing weapons to Israelis in the north, south and the West Bank.
Palestinians fear that Israel's policy of arming citizens may be a pretext for carrying out killings under the guise of "preventing attacks."
*Writing by Ziad Aslan in Ankara